Polygonum polygaloides

Polygala knotweed, Polygala Knotweed

Family: Polygonaceae · Type: annual · Native

Polygala knotweed is a California native annual found in dry, open habitats at mid to high elevations. Flowering from June to September, this delicate plant produces white to red flowers in small, compact spike-like clusters less than 3 millimeters long. Growing with slender, wiry green stems 6 to 20 centimeters tall and widely spreading branches, it appears almost threadlike in form. Its narrow linear leaves are small, with blades 10 to 40 millimeters long and less than 2.5 millimeters wide, with margins rolled tightly underneath. The tiny fruits are light yellow to brown, smooth or with faint longitudinal ridges, nestled within the plant's compact flowering structure.

California counties: Modoc, San Bernardino, El Dorado, Mono, Sierra, Amador, Alpine, Lassen, Tuolumne, Nevada, Mariposa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.